expression, godan verb (-tsu)
wait at ease for the exhausted enemy
A set phrase from classical Chinese military strategy, meaning to conserve one's own strength while the enemy tires themselves out. Used in historical or strategic contexts; not a common everyday expression.
孫子の兵法に「逸を以て労を待つ」という言葉がある。
In Sun Tzu's Art of War, there is the phrase 'wait at ease for the exhausted enemy.'
A classical Chinese expression from military strategy texts, adopted into Japanese as a set phrase. The exact historical derivation is uncertain beyond its literary origin.